Different words of "Study" in Russian

Learn to differentiate between various ways of saying Study in Russian

In your Russian learning journey, you have probably noticed that there are multiple verbs to choose from when trying to say, I am learning and I am studying in Russian. In the Russian language, there are several verbs that translate to study and/or learning. This article will go over the differences between the four verbs: изучать, учить, учиться, and заниматься

Изучать means studying a system of knowledge, an object, or a phenomenon in detail in order to understand how it is structured and how it functions. It usually takes a long period of time and is very often a subject at a school or a university.

For example:

На первом курсе мы изучали философию - We studied philosophy in our first year of College.

Они ходили в лес, чтобы изучать жизнь насекомых. - They went to the forest to study the life of insects.

This is a transitive verb and has to be complemented with a direct object. The thing that you study is in the accusative case - Мы изучали эту главу

1. Learning to do something, to receive knowledge, or to gain skills It is similar to the second meaning of учить (teach), but because this verb is reflexive, there is no object to teach. You are essentially teaching yourself to do something.

For example:

Я учусь делать суши. - I am learning to make sushi.

Дети быстро учатся говорить. - Children learn to speak quickly.

This verb can be complemented not only with a verb but also with a noun. The noun then is in the Dative Case.